ICL Commercial Law do not practice criminal law, save for employee or white collar fraud. We do however review criminal cases where the defendant(s) have been found guilty and sentenced. In almost every criminal case where the accused has been found guilty and sentenced to a term of imprisonment there will be an appeal against either the sentence or the conviction, or both.
Criminal appeals have to be instigated quickly and there are certain rules that apply if a successful appeal is to be launched. Most successful appeals succeed as a result of providing new evidence, or evidence that was not utilised at trial. Defence counsel usually form their strategy during their preparation for the trial and focus on the evidence they believe will assist their client during the trial.
It makes sense that an independent eye is used to review the trial bundles, the evidence, and more importantly the unused evidence to examine the possibility that there might be a different strategy, with additional evidence or a new witness that could cast doubt over the security of the conviction.
In this process ICL Commercial Law employ the services of former senior police officers who are able to assess the handling of the case by the police and highlight any areas where a breach has occurred, this extends to the examination of unused evidence. Senior junior counsel (some of whom sit as recorders in Crown Court) are instructed and all information cross referenced to allow a report to be drafted with a realistic view in advance of preparing the bundles for appeal.